Can we afford to be complacent about teens' use of condoms?
Can we afford to be complacent about teens' use of condoms?
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我们能对青少年使用安全套的情况感到自满吗？
DOI：
10.1016/j.jadohealth.2008.07.014
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发表时间：
2008
期刊：
影响因子：
--
通讯作者：
Sonenstein,FreyaLund
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Sonenstein,FreyaLund
曼洛夫和她的同事发表了一篇关于美国男性青少年使用避孕套和一致性的文章，这篇文章发表得特别及时。最近有报道称，在过去20年里，青少年的性行为冒险行为出现了显著的改善，但这一趋势趋于平稳，并有可能逆转，这表明该领域需要重新提高警惕，促进更安全的行为。2007年在全国高中进行的青少年危险行为调查的最新报告表明，有过性经验的青少年比例没有变化，在最后一次性行为中使用避孕套的比例也没有变化[2]。此外，国家卫生统计中心最近报告说，15岁至19岁青少年的出生率上升，这是15年来的第一次。这些令人不安的统计数据可能意味着，我们过于自满地期望青少年做正确的事情(参考我在本杂志上的最后一篇社论)[4]。本期发表的文章审查了2002年全国家庭增长调查的数据，并提供了与男性青少年避孕套使用率较高有关的因素的宝贵信息。因此，这些发现提供了一些关于潜在策略的指导，这些策略可能会让我们回到正确的轨道上，因为青少年可以更好地保护自己免受性传播感染和意外怀孕的风险。这些策略是什么？这些分析提供了诱人的证据，报告在学校接受性教育的男性青少年也报告了更高水平的避孕套使用。性教育是包括避孕和节欲的知识，还是只包括其中一个主题，似乎没有什么不同。与避孕套使用率较低相关的是缺乏关于这些话题的任何信息。在这里，关于年轻男性参与的教育项目的质量，我们有很多不知道的地方，但在广泛的层面上，这一证据表明，向更广泛的年轻男性提供性教育可能会导致更多人使用避孕套。在调查中，五分之一的性经验丰富的男性青年报告说，他们没有接受过避孕或节欲方面的教育。趋势数据表明，自1995年以来，全国在学校接受节育方法教育的青年比例下降了19%[5]。根据本文中的证据，限制青少年在学校获得关于避孕方法的信息只能被视为短视和糟糕的公共卫生政策。
The publication of the article by Manlove and her colleagues about condom use and consistency among male teenagers in the US is particularly timely [1]. Recent reports of the plateauing and possible reversal of what had been a remarkable improvement of teen sexual risk taking behavior across the last two decades suggests that the field needs to renew its vigilance in promoting safer behaviors. The most recent reports from the 2007 Youth Risk Behavior Survey conducted in high schools around the country suggest no change in the share of teens who are sexually experienced and no change in the proportion using a condom at last intercourse [2]. Further, for the first time in 15 years the National Center for Health Statistics recently reported an increase in birth rates among teenagers ages 15 to 19 [3]. These disturbing statistics may mean that we have become too complacent about expecting teenagers to do the right thing (a reference to my last editorial in this journal)[4]. The article published in this issue examines data from the 2002 National Survey of Family Growth and provides valuable information about the factors associated with higher rates of condom use among male teenagers. As such, the findings provide some guidance about potential strategies that might put us back on the right track as teenagers better protect themselves from the risks of STIs and unintended pregnancies.What are these strategies? The analyses provide tantalizing evidence that male teenagers who report receiving sex education in school also report higher levels of condom use. Whether the sex education includes information about contraception and abstinence or one of these topics only does not seem to make a difference. It is the absence of information about any of these topics that is associated with lower condom use. There is much we do not know here about the quality of the educational program that the young men participate in, but at the broad brush level this evidence suggests that offering sex education to young men more broadly might lead to further use of condoms. One fifth of the sexually experienced male youth in the survey reported no education about either contraception or abstinence. Trend data indicate that nationally there has been a 19 percent decline in the proportion of youth receiving education about birth control methods in school since 1995 [5]. In light of the evidence in this article, restricting the information that teens receive in school about contraceptive methods can only be viewed as short sighted and poor public health policy.